iPhones shut down due to freezing? Apple responds: It's too cold

This cold wave was so severe that it affected everyone in all aspects. It was really unbearable.

In the past two days, many iPhone 5S, 6, and 6S fans have complained online that their phones have inexplicably shut down automatically. What is going on? It's too cold.

Apple said that the iPhone automatically shuts down because it is too cold. The ideal operating temperature range is between 16°C and 22°C. If the phone shuts down due to cold weather, this is only temporary. When the battery temperature returns to the normal operating range, its performance will return to normal.

Common problems of lithium-ion battery mobile phones

In addition to iPhones, Android phones are also affected by automatic shutdown. To be precise, all phones using lithium-ion batteries will encounter this situation.

The electrolyte inside the lithium-ion battery generates a potential difference between the positive and negative electrodes through chemical reactions, thereby generating current. In a low-temperature environment, the electrolyte will move very slowly, thus affecting the transfer activity of lithium ions between the positive and negative electrodes, resulting in a decrease in the battery's charge and discharge performance.

Lithium-ion battery principle

The current solution is to avoid using it in cold outdoor environments for a long time.

The reporter called Apple's official after-sales service number. The customer service staff said that many users have called to inquire about this matter recently, and this kind of problem is mainly caused by low temperature weather. The iPad and iPhone cannot be charged in low temperatures because their batteries are set to low temperature protection. This is a normal phenomenon, not a malfunction of the iPad or iPhone itself, and no repair is required.

The so-called low-temperature protection means that when the temperature is too low, the metallic lithium in the battery will be deposited and will no longer react chemically, resulting in a short circuit in the battery.

Regarding the sudden shutdown problem mentioned by some users, the customer service staff explained that when the iPhone is below 0℃, the ion diffusion of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery becomes worse and the discharge capacity becomes weaker, the system will automatically recognize that it is out of power. The phone will then experience a large amount of "power jumps" in a short period of time, and may even trigger the battery's self-protection mechanism to cause the phone to shut down automatically.

According to reports, Apple's requirements for the operating environment of its electronic products are: the best operating environment for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch is 0℃-35℃, and the best operating environment for MacBook is 10℃-35℃.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.